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Ravindra Jadeja showcased his prowess with the bat, notching up a commendable 87 runs, steering India to a commanding total of 436 in their first innings on day three of the inaugural Test against England at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. This put India comfortably ahead by a substantial 190 runs on a pitch that exhibited signs of slowing down.
Despite the pitch challenges, India managed to add a modest 15 runs to their overnight score in the initial hour of day three’s play. Jadeja, tantalizingly close to a century, fell short by 13 runs. Joe Root emerged as the standout performer for England, claiming figures of 4-79, while Rehan Ahmed and debutant Tom Hartley secured two wickets each. Jack Leach contributed with one wicket.
The morning session saw Root and Mark Wood delivering eight disciplined overs to keep Jadeja and Axar Patel in check. Axar capitalized on Leach’s overpitched deliveries, smashing consecutive cover drives for boundaries. However, Root returned to dismiss Jadeja lbw with an off-break that held its line, making him the third Indian batsman in the innings to fall in the 80s. In the same over, Root castled Jasprit Bumrah through the gate.
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Axar’s attempt to cut off Rehan ended with a delivery keeping low, sneaking through the inside edge to crash into the stumps, concluding India’s innings. As the spotlight shifts to the bowlers, India aims for another stellar performance, with England’s challenge lying in surviving on a slower pitch with unpredictable bounce during their second innings.
Brief Scores: England 246 trails India 436 in 121 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 87, KL Rahul 86; Joe Root 4-79, Rehan Ahmed 2-105) by 190 runs.
–IANS
